We have completed the second season of our CSA program and are gearing up for our third! Developed in the 1960s in Japan, CSAs are a way for communities to share the risks and the bounty of the harvest with the farmer. CSAs offer a positive alternative to the conventional agricultural system in which consumers and farmers are estranged, and create a viable economic model in which farmers receive 100 percent of the food dollar. In a CSA, consumers buy shares in a farm's output before the growing season starts, and then reap the benefits of the harvest each week as the season progresses.

We’re very excited about continuing the CSA for another year. In our first CSA season, we offered 11 shares, and in our second we offered 25. In the 2007 season, we plan to offer 25 shares. The CSA program is open to anyone interested in receiving fresh food and supporting local agriculture. We fill up quickly on a first-come, first-served basis, so please inquire as soon as possible if you are interested.

To become a member, call us or e-mail as soon as possible because shares are limited (info@maverickfarms.com or 828-963-4656).

What you can expect for the 2007 CSA season:

1) Our CSA has 25 members. Membership prices will remain the same as the 2006 season, at $500 per share. The season runs from the first week of June through mid-October.

2) To streamline the CSA’s expansion and develop a sense of community, we ask all CSA members to fulfill a work requirement—6 hours for the season. There are various ways that this requirement can be met—participating in a farm workday, working at our pickup location to help distribute boxes, washing and packing vegetables for distribution. After members have joined, we will send out a schedule for you to choose your hours.

3) Maverick Farms is committed to the idea that fresh, locally grown food is a right, not a privilege. In this spirit, we will be offering two working shares. The working share is priced at half the regular share ($250 for the season) and the shareholder will work 7 hours per month. If you would like an application for the working share, please contact us.

4) We hope to utilize the Agricultural Center in Downtown Boone again this year. We’ll arrive with the harvest in bins and CSA members will pack their own boxes. We’ll have a scale and a list of amounts of vegetables available that week. Pickups will most likely be on Tuesdays from 4-6 p.m. Volunteers will be on site throughout the CSA pickup time to setup, help with distribution, and cleanup afterwards. Work requirements can be fulfilled by working two distribution days.

5) We’ll include about seven different varieties of veggies in your box each week, valued at approximately $25 (at the peak of the season, you can expect to get more, and less at the start and end of the season). Based on feedback, we’ve decided to pare back on exotic veggies and focus on staples like lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, peas, squash, cucumbers, beans, potatoes.

6) We’ll continue with a weekly newsletter that will include at least one simple recipe. We’ll also make an effort to send out email updates before CSA pickup day with what you can expect to find in your box that week.

Please let us know if you’d like to join. We are offering shares on a first-come, first-serve basis. To register for this season or with any questions you may have, contact us at info@maverickfarms.com or 828-963-4656.